Needle for repairing knitted articles



Patented June 23, 1931 PATENT OFFICE mem. vrrotrx, or TROYES, amen IOR REPAIRING KNITTED ARTICLES Application led March 1, 193D, Serielle: 432,298, and in France Iarch 29, 1929.

The object of the invention is a needle for repairing knitted article, chiefly stockings, of the kind, according to which the needle comprises a rod terminating in the form of ahoolr,

in which rod a movable member or latch slides, such latch alternately opening and shuttin vthe hook of the needle and being displaced y the threads of the knitting being repaired, such for example, as described in the applicants United States patent application S. No. 315,675, led October 29, 1928;

Patent No. 1,7 90,611.

The v'repairing needle forming the lobject of the invention oi'l'ers advantages in relation to needles already known, the object of which is to render the construction more simple and consequently less costly, and also to ensure a `more1convenient manipulation and a more certain functioning of the needle, at the same 2 time yreducing to a minimum the risks of deterioration of the article to be repaired.

These improvements consist mainly in that a. The sliding latch is controlled by a return spring, which tends constantly to bring it back to its opening position, the advantage of which is to avoid. an strain upon the threads, which alone, ha to take charge in the known devices of this kind, to push back the latch to the rear so as to open it, this being of particular advantage when fine gauge knitted fabrics of delicate thread isv being repaired. Moreover, this device has the advantage of preventing the inadvertent closing of the latch at the wrong time through -its own weight, so that the operator need not intervene. to open the latch, `either at the `commencement of her work to take up the first mesh or loop, or in course of the repair.

b. The sliding latch is simply placed in the longitudinal mortise or slot in which it is displaced, and is only held towards its extremity opposite to the hook by a strap encircling the rod of the needle. By virtue of this vd and is forced to take the correct poi "-*relation to the hook. Moreover, it become y by giving an appropriate shape to the extremity in question, i. e. the rear extremity fithilatch, to withdraw it so as to facilitate cleaning operationsLwhich may arrangement, the latchis precisely be rendered necessary by the accumulation of dust which interferes with, or prevents, the normal functioning of the latch.

c. The overlapping of the point, of the needle by the front extremity of the latch to enable the loops of thread to slidefreely over the hook is eiectedin a simple manner by prvlding a slitY in the upper extremity of the latch, and opening out the sides or lips of the said slit, which, apart from the economy in manufacture, presents the advantage of re" ducing to a minimum the width of the needle 'which passes through the meshes or loops and thus making it possible to repair finer articles, while only leaving scarcely perceptible traces.

d. The form given to the head of the latch and the extreme rear position of the latch are such that by virtue of the free way in which it is guided, a slight oscillating or swinging movement can be given to the latch t0 -facilitate the passage of the loops over its head. r

The invention will be better understood by the detailed specification of the repairing needle forming its object, and by reference to the drawings annexed to the present specification, which represent diagrammatically,

and by way of example, an embodiment of the said needle. In these drawin l Figure 1 is a'general view, in e evation, of the repairing needle. y

Figure 2 is an elevation of the needle on a larger scale, 'the latch being shown in its closed position. i

Figure 3 is a plan corresponding ,to Figure 2. p

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of the article to be repaired; and

Figures 5 and 6 are diagrammatic views 90 showing details of functioning.

According to these figures, 1 is the rod of the needle, whichl can be set or mounted in a handle 2, and terminating in a hook 3. The rod is provided axially with a longitudinal 2 slot 4 in which slides the flatlatch 5.

The latch 5, is controlled by a return spring 6, iitted in a rojection 7, provided on the rear extremity o the said latch, the spring 6 beingV 'also attached to a fixed point of the needle, i

I ent such as a projection of the fixed ring 8, which is integral withthe rod of the needle 1.

The spring 6 tends constantly to bring back the latch 5 to the rear, that isjto say,in its open position, so that the latch cannot close again of itself through its own Weight.

The latch 5 is simply placed between the walls of the longitudinal slot ,4, in which ity can slide, and it is merely held in position by a strap 9, encircling the rod of the needle, and the rear extremity-of the latch 5, in front of the projection 7. This extremity is cut on its lower edge so as to form a sloping surface lO, to facilitate the removal of the latch. On the f ront extremity, the Hat blade forming the latch 5 is slit by a kind of knife in its upper part, and the slit widened out so as to form two lips 5a, leaving between them a space in which can engage the point of the hook 3, which comes level with the two lips, thus reducing to a minimum the width of the needle which has to pass into the meshes or loops.

In the lower part, this extremity of the" latch is provided with a heel 11, with opposite inclines or slopes, and the front edge 5" of the latch is inclined so that the heel 11 is in front of the top pointof the latch 5. Moreover, the latch 5 is provided with a hollow 12 which, when in its rear or opening position, comes opposite corresponding hollows 13 in the rod 1 of the needle. These hollows constitute locations enabling the threads to take up their correct position again on the return of the needle when the thread of the loop, which is on the rod, as a result of the thrust of the needle, passes under the thread of the following loop. v

'Y As the functioning of this class of needle is well known it only remains to describe in principle the functional features of the presdevice. t Let us suppose that the article shown in .Figure 4 is in course of repair, 20 and 21 being the loops which were undone and have been taken up again by the needle, 22 being a loop which has just been reformed bythe needle and 23 and 24 threads left by undone loops. The reformed loop 22 is onthe hook 3 (the material being stretched in the ordinary manner) the needle 1 is pushed forward across the knitted article, the spring 6 having brought back the latch 5 to the rear. Towards the end of the movement of the needle 1 to the front, the heel l1l ofthe latch 5 comes up against the" loop 21, and this meeting takes place. (Figure 5) before the loop 22 which slides on the inclined part or slope 3a of the hook 3 has reached the upper point of the latch 5, so that by virtue of the free way in which the latch is guided and of the fact that the loop 22 does not rest on the latch 5, the

loop 21 slightly raises the latch 5 and passes on the other side of the heel 11. The thread of the loop 22 can then easily lower the point" o f the latch 5 when it comes into contact which the latch takes when it is completely open, i. e. behind the angle formed by the slope 3a and the body of the needle 1.

The loop 22 being placed on the body of the needle 1, the needle is then drawn back Wards, the heel l1 comes against the loop 21, the llatch is held between the thread of the loop 22 and that of the loop 21; the latch 5 cannot, therefore, rise up and it closes again (Figures 1,2 and 3) without exercising additional pressure against the base of the slot 4. During this time, the hook holds the thread 23. In the known way oneicontinues to draw backwards the needle 1 towards the rear until a new loop is formed in the thread 23, and

this new loop is drawn by the loop 22 which,

being set up again, easily slides over the closed hook 3. Y

The removal of the latch 5 for cleaning the needle is most simple. It is only necessary to unhok the spring 6 from the eye of the proj ection 7 and to swing the latch 5 by pressing on the projection 7, the slope 10 permitting this oscillating movement and the passage of the projection 7 underneath the strap 9.

It is understood that, Without departing rom the scope of the invention, variations and improvements in the detail of the needle which forms its object can be devisedl and also that certain elements therein may be replaced by equivalent means.

What I claim is:

1. vA; sliding latch needle for repairing knitted articles, comprising, in combination, a rod terminating in a hook, a movable latch within a longitudinal slot of said rod, said latch alternately opening and closing said hook, a strap surrounding said rod and rigidly connected therewith, and resilient means connecting said latch with said rod, said latch being also displaced by the threads of the knitted article in a direction perpendicular to the lon itudinalaxis of said rod,

being limited by the bottom of said groove :and by said strap.

3. A. sliding latch needle for repairing knitted articles, comprising, in combination, a rod terminating in a hook, a movable latch within a longitudinal slot of said rod, said latch comprising a heel and a sloping surface at the-extremity facing said hook, said heel being situated nearer to the adjacent end of said latch than the edge formed by said sloping surface and the side surface of said latch, a slight swinging movement of said latch being produced when s'aid sloping surface and heel come into contact with the threads of the knitted article, a strap surrounding said rod and rigidly connected' therewith, and resilient means connecting said latch with said rod, the swinging movement of said latch being limited by said stra-p.

4. A. sliding latch needle for repairing knitted articles, comprising, in combination, a rod terminating in a hook, a movable latch within a longitudinal slot of said rod, said latch alternately opening and closing said f hook and being displaced by the threads of the knitted article, a strap surrounding said rod and rigidly connected therewith, and a spring connecting said latch with said rod and adapted to bring said latch back to its opening position.

5. A sliding latch needle for repairing knitted articles, comprising, in combination, a rod terminating in a hook, a movable latch within a longitudinal slot of said rod, said latch comprising two lips adapted to embrace the bent extremity of said hook, a strap surrounding said rod and rigidly connected therewith, and resilient means connecting said latch with said rod.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

. MARCEL VITOUX. 

